SMC Heads-Up: Climate concerns, fruit fly, milk

Ready or not,
its happening - IPCCThe latest report
released by the UN International Panel on climate Change
(IPCC) this week paints a stark picture of a warmer future -
one which we are ill-prepared for, according to the authors.

The authors of the report say the effects of climate
change are already occurring on all continents and across
the oceans. The world, in many cases, is ill-prepared for
risks from a changing climate. The report also concludes
that there are opportunities to respond to such risks,
though the risks will be difficult to manage with high
levels of warming.

"Nobody on this planet is going to be
untouched by the impacts of climate change,'' IPCC chairman
Rajendra Pachauri told the press conference at the launch of
the report.

The IPCC reports represent the largest
assessment of evidence on climate change and impacts. A
total of 309 coordinating lead authors, lead authors, and
review editors, drawn from 70 countries, were selected to
produce the WGII report. They enlisted the help of 436
contributing authors, and a total of 1,729 expert and
government reviewers.

"The Working Group 2
report is a chance to restate and re-emphasise the climate
change vulnerability and adaptation issues that we already
face, and to remind ourselves that global and local impacts
of climate change need to be addressed and are not going
away. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the
current state of science in relation to climate change
impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and has been written
so that decision-makers at every level of society can have
access to a reliable robust scientific
assessment."

Professor Tim Naish, Director of the
Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of
Wellington, comments:

"Building on the statement that 'the human
influence on the climate system is clear', this latest
report makes it quite clear that New Zealand is
under-prepared and faces a significant 'adaptation deficit'
in the context of the projected impacts and risks from
global average warming of +2 to 4°C by the end of the
century...

"Extreme weather events, such as droughts and
flooding will become more frequent as the wet regions in the
west of New Zealand can expect more rainfall and the already
dry regions of Canterbury the far North and the East Cape
become drier with significant implications for water
resources, increased risk for our climate sensitive primary
industries such as agriculture and horticulture and
challenges for hydro-electricity generation.

Prof
Alistair Woodward, School of Population Health, University
of Auckland, is a lead author of the WGII report. He
comments:

"Some scenarios
project warming of 4-7°C (on average) over much of the
global landmass by the end of the 21st century.

"If this
change happens, then the hottest days will exceed present
temperatures by a wide margin and increase the number of
people who live in conditions that are so extreme that the
ability of the human body to maintain heat balance during
physical activity is compromised for parts of the year and
unprotected outdoor labour is no longer possible."

Fruit fly
find fuels biosecurity worriesThe
discovery of solitary male fruit fly in Whangarei has
biosecurity authorities on high alert and prompted a
lockdown on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the
area.

The Ministry for Primary
Industries (MPI) is investigating a new find of asingle male Queensland fruit
fly in a surveillance trap in the Parihaka area
of Whangarei.

Although the fly was found just 400m from
the spot where another fly was trapped in January this year,
MPI says all information at this stage indicates that this
detection is a new find and not related to the January
incident.

According to MPI, the Queenslandfruit fly is
one of the most damaging fruit fly pests. It infests more
than 100 species of fruit including avocado, citrus, feijoa,
grape, peppers, persimmon, pipfruit, and stonefruit.

Following the discovery, biosecurity officials have
put in place a Controlled Area
Notice, encompassing a 1.5km circular area
around the location of the find, taking in parts of
Parihaka, Riverside and central Whangarei.

Whole fresh
fruit and vegetables (except for leafy vegetables and root
veges) cannot be moved outside of the Controlled Area.It is
expected the restrictions will be in place for at least a
couple of weeks.

"I'm not saying we
are perfect, but what we report is an accurate reflection of
what is happening in our system. We don't think that's
happening in other countries,"

Auckland
obstetrician Dr Sue Belgrave on NZ 'shigh death rate for women in pregnancy
and childbirth

A2 milk animal study stirs
debateThe long running A2 vs A1 milk conflict in New Zealand
was given a top-up this week with the publication of a new
study suggesting A1 - but not A2 - milk slows digestion and
increases bowel inflammation.

A2 milk comes from cows which
produce a particular version of thebeta-casein protein in their
milk.

The A2 corporation maintains that this 'A2'
version of the protein is healthier than the version found
in most milk in Australasia, A1 beta-casein. Their argument
hinges on the fact that A1 beta-casein produces a small
protein fragment believed to cause inflammation and negative
health effects.

Now a new study in rats, undertaken by
AgResearch in collaboration with the A2 corporation and
published in International
Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, has added weight
to this hypothesis.

The researchers found that rats fed
A1 milk had slower digestion and increased markers of bowel
inflammation compared to rats fed A2 milk. The researchers
were also able to show that A1 milk's effects were mediated
by opioid receptors in the bowel.

Lincoln University's
Prof Keith Woodford, a co-author of the study and an
independent adviser to A2 Corporation, wrote on his blogthat the
findings back up earlier research indicating that the small
protein fragment produced by A1 beta casein acts on the
bowels in a similar fashion to opioids such as codeine (of
which constipation is a known side effect).

"This finding
of slower food transit provides strong support for the
existing observational evidence that A1 is associated with
digestive discomfort, bloating, and constipation relative to
A2."

Regarding the inflammation he wrote: "This has
important implications for both sub clinical inflammation in
humans and potentially for inflammatory bowel syndrome, and
once again complements observational evidence in humans."

Human research
needed

Speaking to the New Zealand
Herald, Fonterra chief technology officer
Jeremy Hill said the claims needed to be validated in human
trials - a move predicted by Prof Woodford who wrote on his
blog:

"This paper will be seen as threatening by the
mainstream dairy industry and so it is inevitable they will
attack it. Their key argument is likely to be that the work
was done with rodents rather than humans."

However Dr
Woodford hinted that further research in humans is underway,
saying, "these findings are also going to underpin some
forthcoming clinical evidence relating to digestive effects
in humans."

Research
highlightsSome of the
research papers making headlines this
week.

Cutting edge
'tweezers' pick apart atom clouds: University of
Otago physicists have pushed the frontiers of quantum
technology by developing a steerable 'optical tweezers' unit
that uses intense laser beams to precisely split minute
clouds of ultracold atoms. The principle investigator
described the precise control as "like being able to pull a
delicate snowflake into two clean halves with your bare
hands." Video available.Optics
LettersOrigins of a
superbug: Genome sequencing of a multidrug
resistant strain of E. Coli found in Australia, Canada,
India, Spain, the UK and New Zealand, responsible for a high
proportion of urinary tract and bloodstream infections,
reveals that it arose from a single common ancestor prior to
2000, according to Australian research.PNASDino chase:
Using photos and hand drawn maps of dinosaur foot
prints excavated 70 years ago, scientists have reconstructed
a 45m sequence left by a dinosaur chase. Using specialised
computer software, scientists were able to reconstruct and
view the entire footprint sequence in 3D for the first time
since food prints were unearthed and removed to museums.
Video available. PLOS ONEiPhone
heart check: Australian researchers have developed
an electrocardiogram (ECG) test which can be taken using a
modified iPhone. The test is quick and accurate, and can
quickly and cheaply diagnose unknown atrial fibrillation
(AF), a common abnormal heart rhythm that causes a third of
all strokes and doubles the chances of premature
death.Thrombosis and
HaemostasisTechniques to reduce
dolphin by-catch ineffective: Current methods to
reduce the rates of by-catch in the Pilbara Trawl Fishery
aren't working as well as expected, according to Australian
research. The study found that the use of Bycatch Reduction
Devices, which allow dolphins to escape trawler nets, and
acoustic deterrents, or 'pingers', are not reducing the
level of interactions between bottlenose dolphins and the
trawlers.PLOS
ONE

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